Mirroring the masses through media

In debates on TV channels about democracy, everyone seems to agree this is the best form of governance but opinions differ on why it has failed to deliver in Pakistan.

The common refrain in this regard is military intervention. Why has this happened repeatedly and why have the masses not resisted the intervention?

Political differences among politicians have reined high than concentrating on working to improve the lives of the people and the country. There seems to be no debate on these weaknesses of the political parties.

Political parties should be blamed for not holding elections within their own ranks. They function on dynastic leadership that remain detached from ground realities. They make promises which are not meant to be kept.

One of the main reasons for such a situation is that political workers and officeholders do not reach the top by making their way from the grassroots level.

They do not come up through hard work and struggle.

There is hardly any set of laws and bylaws governing the structure and the functioning of a party. This is the basis on which political parties flourish in other democratic countries.

Few political parties in our country have a manifesto that carries a clear history and the assessment of national problems along with solutions which the party will introduce after coming into power. Rather, there is more mud slinging than solid work done for people. Political parties themselves never do any homework in order to understand the national problems and offer viable solutions.

In the never-ending match of slinging between the political parties, foul and slanderous language is used which becomes sensational news for the media to glorify.

Thus the real purpose of free speech and debate is lost. The media does not seem to show the viewers the pathetic conditions in which the masses at large live.

I suggest that there should be a jointly sponsored programme with the title of “Mirror” which should expose the appalling conditions in which some 80 per cent of our people live – infrastructure, hospitals, schools, unhygienic living conditions, etc. And then the presenters on TV talk shows should ask political representatives as to what solutions do they have to mend the situation.